New v. Experienced Players & Matchmaking

Battleborn Battleborn General Discussion
#1

A really sad trend I’m seeing lately in all modes during my past few weeks of playing… for whatever reason the matchmaking is pairing pre-made groups of 5 players, command level 100, versus a mix of 3 or 4 lower leveled players (5-25) and perhaps 1 or 2 high leveled ones. Not ALL the time, but sure is happeneing often lately!

Yes, I know Command Level is not indicitive of skill, but I don’t think anyone doubts experience sure does help, especially when those level 100’s have put in hundreds of hours of gameplay versus a new player who’s only played around 20. Even at level 93, I’ve put in around 130 hours, and I know I have plenty to learn still!

This is causing the lower level new players to quit early or simply not have a good time and enjoy the match; hopefully it does not also discourage them from this game as we need them!

I’m aware of the low player count, and I am seeing a lot of high leveled characters left around. But it’s just hard to get new players to stick with the match to learn when they’re getting wasted… yes, story mode can help level up, but the real experience comes from pvp. I only wish we had more mixed teams of experienced players and new ones, so things can balance more.

I really love the game, but this has been a problem for me the past week or so. Any thoughts on this? Is this just the nature of the player base now?

Best regards,
DDCP

EDIT (Post from another thread I found relevant to put here):
While the matchmaking is a bit quicker, I’ve experienced far too many unbalanced matches that actually hurt the new(ish) players’ experience. I absolutely understand that’s a fine line to tread: making your dedicated 200+ hour players happy (and playing), and gathering new players to learn, enjoy, and stick with the game. However, I’ve been on the mic, trying to help a team of four level ~20 players against a pre-made level 100 team (all with 300+ hours). It’s hard. They are demoralized from the start (even though it’s been stated Command Rank isn’t skill – which is just not true).

I’m not exactly complaining re: quicker matches, but I am very concerned with the new players getting turned away by very uneven experiences; it’s just not fun getting wasted. I’m level 97, ~140 hours (36 the past two weeks) just FYI.

3 Likes
Mutiplayer not fun anymore
Matchmaking wtf!?
What happened to matchmaking?
Am I the best Meltdown player?
Worse matchmaking I've ever seen in a game
#2

Tutorials need to be added to explain game modes and character classes, as so many seem to think it’s just a TDM. That way, maybe they won’t be discouraged upon seeing command rank, and stay and fight. Or just remove the visible command rank, as many have suggested.

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#3

I completely agree. If command rank isn’t used for matchmaking, it should not be front & center for people to see. And big yes on tutorials of some sort. The game is about knowing when to fall back half the time, and regroup for another push.

#4

Gearbox saying command rank isn’t indicative of skill is total bull. It means a level 100 has played that much more, is that much more experienced, have better gear, and more likely to have advanced helix choices unlocked. 5 level 100’s will wipe the floor with sub level 20’s most of the time.

The low player count means there isn’t a separate queue for the 4 or 5 man premades as there should be.

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#5

Thanks for putting that bluntly… Haha! I was trying to say that in my OP, but you stated it much clearer. It’s such a glaring problem now and I’ve been on many low level teams losing morale and quitting early because of stacked games. Not sure if there is a solution to this…

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#6

I’m relatively new to Battleborn, having played a few hours of each game mode and single player. I find it incredibly hard to play online much anymore. Most games I play are defeats, usually with complete team wipes. Some with my team not even getting a single kill. The very few games I win are usually because someone on the enemy team disconnected, or the rare chance I have a couple members who are good and carrying my team. I’m not good at the game obviously, my kill/death ratio is usually 1/6. Anytime I die only twice to the amount of kills I get is a good game. Anytime I actually reach level 5+ is a good game.

I gotta say my confidence is getting real shot here, I’m not sure how much more multiplayer I can stand. I love the game, but it’s just constant losing and team wipes. You’d think as long as I’m having fun losing doesn’t matter. But it’s not fun dying to every 1v1 encounter, or being afraid to move anywhere close to the middle of the map.

I used to play and enjoy the Section 8 Prejudice multiplayer. The only people who play the game now are hardcore fans and pros. So any and all new players get stomped immediately, causing them to stop playing.

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#7

What character are you playing? If no one specific, do you play a certain class type? Some (Most, actually) characters are not meant for a straight-up 1v1 fight and will get annihilated in them. To put it simply, not all characters are created equal.

For example, I play Miko, Boldur and Orendi the most. Miko is a healer and support and can deal with the mooks fairly easily while healing, but will get destroyed in any 1v1 (Unless you’re playing against someone really rubbish). Boldur is a tank and, while a slow starter, will become a powerhouse if specced right… but a 1v1 will end badly most of the time nonetheless. Orendi is the most powerful of the three, but a glass cannon. She’ll get crunked quick in close combat. I guess what I’m trying to say here is that you shouldn’t look for 1v1s, you should be looking for 2v1s or higher as often as possible when going after the BBs. This is a team game, with emphasis on team.

Also what platform are you playing on? I’m still a new player compared to some of the vets, but the number of times I have had that bad experiences I can count on one hand. (PS4 player)

#8

There is no reason to match someone like me (CR100, 400 games played) with a brand new player who doesnt even understand the basic concept of the game. All it does is kill the fun for both me and the players getting stomped. Id much rather play someone skilled than someone who doesnt even know what my character is capable of.

If they dont fix this soon Im done with Battleborn

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#9

I play characters like Benedict, Miko, Reyna, Oscar Mike, El Dragon, and Orendi. I do often play more defensively and supportive. But too many times I’m backed up around a corner and I can’t push at all. I understand I can’t 1v1 everyone, but I get chased away so often, I’m near useless.

#10

Hang in there buddy! Add me on steam if you want (DDCP is my username there as well). I’d gladly fight alongside you and try and show you the ropes, take some of the burden off you, and give you more time to adapt to the competition now. I truly am concerned with new player experiences like yours, and would be happy to try and make the game more fun for you.

#11

Oh, sorry totally forgot to answer this. I’m playing on PC Steam.

Thanks I’ll look into adding you.

#12

Personally I’d love to see brand new players have to go through maybe 5-10 bot matches with other players. A tutorial for single player would also be nice, if even for testing!

Maybe give higher level players a bit of an exp/credit bonus for queing in this “Mentor Mode” if you will :3

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#13

Now we’re talking! That is a great idea!

#14

in my personal experience, i have never gotten better at a game when i was not good at the game simply by playing players of similar skill level. you dont get better because you learn bad habits and can get away with things you should not be able to get away with, and wont be able to get away with against better players. so, in other words, you will only get better through playing better players.

also, this game does not have a huge playerbase. queue times need to be fast. even if there were a lot of players, constantly playing players of equal skill keeps bad players bad, and makes good players wait in queue longer than they should have to, and makes every match for them a sweat match. tight skill based matchmaking gets old very fast

#15

Absolutely agree and was about to post the same myself. I am only level 18 currently, and for the last 3 days I have been on teams , except for maybe one match, where the other team is composed almost entirely of high level players ie 100.

Just a few minutes ago, I was the highest rank in my team at level 18, with the rest being Level 3, 4, 6 and 12,
and the other team was made up of 4 x 100 level players and an 83 level player. Suffice to say, these matches are not fun, actually, they arent worth playing , hence people want to drop out.

As for justifying that it makes you better if you are level 3 playing against a team of 100’s , I disagree. A level 3 player is still trying to learn the match and try to hold on…HAVE FUN!!.. this.is.not.fun.

#16

To your second point, I think the consensus I’ve read on a lot of threads is that yes: it’s great matchmaking is quicker, and (even if not ideal) this is more preferable than the ridiculous wait times.

But your personal experience is just a tad bit anecdotal when you consider so many new players’ experiences. It’s late here, but I could link you about half a dozen threads of genuine new(ish) players getting slaughtered, zero kills, etc. If you’re the type that is so competitive that you can stick with losing 20 games in a row, getting 1 kill (maybe), etc. then that is awesome; moreso if you have fun while doing it. But new players don’t have that luxury with the low player count… pre-made groups of high level players are roaming around (not to their fault, as I’ve stated above) wiping them out and not making this a learning experience. More importantly? It’s just not fun. Even learning (while losing) should be fun.

For my part (to add the many experiences and viewpoints), I’m not even the most experienced pvp / moba / competitive shooter out there; yet having the luck of playing during the open beta and launch weeks, I had very easy matches and very rough matches to learn. THAT was a great learning experience… I got kills every so often, wins here and there, confidence was boosted, and communication was great because the general player base was new. The new ones now? Far more rounds where the opposing (unlucky) side gets maybe ~4 kills (across all 5 players) while hardly doing any objectives.

Again, it’s not an easy answer, and I don’t blame your point of view if you’re the type that can barrel through this situation; but if you’ve queued up with random groups a lot these past weeks, it’s a mixed bag and not so clear cut as you state. I’m for your reasoning, but I just can’t say to these players, “tough luck, play better, and learn”, when the learning environment is not so conducive and definitely not fun.

NOTE: I don’t want to come across as just stating my opinion on how things are and assuming the solution. Honestly no offense so I hope you’re not mad or anything. Rather, I’ve been gathering a lot of feedback both in-game (round after round), and on the various forums for Battleborn.

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#17

Well said, agree completely.

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#18

Ah, I’ve heard that the playerbase on steam has been dropping rapidly, so it’s very possible that it’s close to only the most dedicated (and no doubt good) players left there, causing bad experiences for new players.

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#19

I’m on ps4 and I have been experiencing this a lot

#20

Thanks Cam, I’m fighting the good fight for players like yourself.

While not exactly arguing players like Chris’ point of view, I’m just trying to raise awareness of a growing (morale-killing) problem. It’s honestly disheartening to shrug this off as something people should just “put up with, learn, etc.”.

A better solution has to be made; a tutorial or something of the sorts would be great.

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